One Hundred Days Later

Indy woke up wrapped around Josh, Noah and Connor already up. Josh looked at him with beaming eyes, a soft smile playing on his lips. “Good morning, baby.”

Indy leaned up on his elbow for a kiss. “Good morning… Did you sleep well or were you as excited as I was?”

Josh grinned. “It feels like Christmas morning to me.”

“I know, right? It’s the weirdest feeling…” Indy leaned in for another kiss, then disentangled himself from Josh.

Indy looked around their bedroom as he threw on some sweatpants and a shirt. The contractor had done an amazing job with the renovation. He had added a few square feet to the former in-law wing, making it big enough for the huge bed they’d ordered custom-made. They had also added a second shower to the bathroom, and had created a second walk-in closet.

And, of course, he’d built a play room Josh and Connor made good use of. Indy still couldn’t stand to watch when Connor whipped or caned Josh, even though he knew Josh craved it, but he loved seeing the bliss Josh experienced afterward.

It had become their sanctuary, this house, and especially this room. They’d all found their place, both literally and figuratively. Noah and Connor on the outsides of the bed with Indy and Josh in the middle. Indy loved that whenever he woke up, someone was always holding him, touching him. Josh’s nightmares were gone for good, too.

On the other side of the house, the contractor had built another wing, slightly smaller than this one, but roomy enough to comfortably house Miles, Brad, and Charlie. Watching the three of them making their relationship work had been a joy.

Brad had rebelled hard at times, and Miles had patiently been there for him. Even Noah and Connor had stepped up at times to give Brad the stability and discipline that he needed. Miles had to go through a week training upstate a few weeks ago, and Connor had taken over Brad’s daily morning spanking to make sure Brad knew he was not invisible. It was heartwarming to see that Brad was slowly, but surely getting better at trusting he was loved and wanted.

Charlie had blossomed into a sassy, spunky, but super sweet guy whose biggest joy was loving his two men. He loved his job as a beauty consultant, and still did monthly performances at Flirt.

Indy sighed as he thought of Miles. The former FBI agent was developing a counseling practice working with teens. Recently, he’d been asked by the school district to help train teachers in recognizing mental health issues in students, and Indy couldn’t have been prouder of the man.

It was also clear that Brad wasn’t the only one who loved having a family again. Miles had become close with Noah and Connor, the three of them hanging out a lot. Miles and Noah loved having long conversations about psychology, Miles cheering Noah on every chance he got for Noah to finish his degree. The safety Miles experienced at home, being able to be himself, had made a huge difference for him as well. And he doted on Charlie and Brad, the love between the three of them healing for all.

“You ready?” Josh asked, snapping Indy out of his thoughts.

“Yeah.” He sighed. “They’re gonna react well, right?” His stomach rolled a little.

Josh quickly closed the distance between them and gave him a gentle hug. “You really worried about that?”

Indy’s stomach settled as Josh’s hug steadied him. “A little.” His voice sounded muffled, his mouth against Josh’s shirt.

Josh let go and grabbed his chin. “Indy, Noah loves you. Don’t you ever doubt that. And you know he’s more than fine with us.”

Indy nodded. He did know—on a rational level. Still, there was this flutter in his stomach, this deep-down fear that Noah would reject him anyway. “Let’s go,” he said, not wanting to bring Josh down. “We’ve got a plan to execute.”

His nerves wouldn’t go away the rest of the day. When they started the preparations for the barbecue party, they were back in full swing. He pushed them down as he let Aaron and Blake in, helped set everything up outside, then prepared the side dishes with Josh, Aaron eager to help as well.

It was a gorgeous autumn day, the sky crystal blue with soft white wisps of clouds in the distance. The men were laughing and eating, catching up and joking around. Aaron was at Blake’s feet, more confident than ever before. He was excelling at his new job, making local and even statewide headlines for his work. Brad was playing chess with Noah, Max sleeping at his feet as usual, while Connor and Miles were talking about Connor’s job at the school district, Charlie content to simply sit on Miles’ lap.

Indy felt Josh behind him before he saw him, then Josh’s arms came around him. “You ready, baby?”

Indy nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Josh handed him the small box, and hand in hand they made their way to their family, their tribe.

“Everyone,” Josh said, then waited till the conversations had stopped. “Indy and I have something we want to say.”

He squeezed Indy’s hand, and suddenly those nerves were gone, and Indy’s heart filled with so much love it felt like it would burst.

“I don’t know if you realized what day it is today, Noah,” he said.

Noah frowned, shook his head.

“It’s exactly a year ago that I met you and Josh, and even Connor for the first time.”

Recognition lit up on Noah’s face, and he smiled, but stayed silent, sensing apparently that Indy had more to say.

“In hindsight, that was the best day of my life, even if I didn’t realize it at the time. Meeting you changed my life in so many ways, that I can’t even put it into words.”

“It was the best day of my life, too,” Josh took over. “Because that day changed everything for me, for us. It was the start of a new chapter, and looking back, it’s hard to imagine my life before that day. Meeting Indy was the catalyst for a lot of changes, all of them good. We would not be sitting here with this company, if not for that day.”

“That doesn’t mean this year was easy, because it wasn’t,” Indy said. “We all paid the price for the crimes of others…and we came damn close to losing some of us. I’ll be forever grateful to what you all have endured and sacrificed because of me.”

His voice choked, and Josh squeezed his hand again.

“It was also not easy because all of us, we didn’t take the easy route to love. We found love in unexpected ways and forms, and that was often a struggle in itself,” Josh said. “It’s what makes us a family: to be able to see and accept that love comes in many shapes and forms. And no one knows that better than Connor and Noah, who had the courage to set Indy and me free.”

This was it, Indy realized. This was the cue he and Josh had agreed on. Peace descend in his heart, as he let go of Josh and reached for that small box. They kneeled at the same time, and an audible gasp sounded in the garden as the others realized what was happening.

Indy opened the small box at the same time Josh did, and they both held it out to their men.

“Noah Flint, I love you more than words can say, and I want nothing more than to have your name. Will you marry me?”

Next to him, Josh repeated his words for Connor. Then all Indy could see was Noah’s face, lighting up like the sun, radiating with so much love it would’ve brought Indy to his knees if he hadn’t been there already.

“Yes! Oh, yes, Indy, hell yes.”

Noah came out of his chair, dragged Indy to his feet and kissed him senseless. Those strong arms held him so tight it felt as if Noah never wanted to let go.

“God, I love you,” Noah breathed in his ear. He leaned back. “Are you sure this is what you want? I wanted to ask you a hundred times already, but I didn’t want to make you feel like you had to choose between me and Josh.”

Similar words were uttered by Connor at the same time, and Indy and Josh smiled at each other. They’d guessed it right when they had discussed it.

“We both agreed that we want your names. For us, it’s enough to be together. We don’t need anything else. But we want to make it official with you,” Indy said.

“We’ll do it together,” Noah said with a quick look at Connor. “Right, Connor? Same day wedding, the four of us.”

Connor nodded, his eyes suspiciously moist. “There’s nothing that would make me happier.”

Then they kissed and hugged, and the others stepped into congratulate with even more hugs and kisses, and Indy’s heart swelled inside his chest.

He’d found love when he never expected it.

He’d found a family he’d never dared imagine.

Life was pretty damn good.